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School begins again soon. It’s hard to believe summer’s almost gone, but there you have it. As I prepare for the new year, I wanted to share a few thoughts with you about the best way to send your kids over to school.

Before we start, I have a confession. Honestly, I used to stress about school. Being a parent, I was wary of handing my kids off to people I don’t know that well. It was hard to trust them to take care of my children throughout the day, every school day.

As a mother of faith, I have learned that God is in control. They are in His loving hands. Knowing that changes everything. But, as parents, we can help out. Let’s start their school year off right by sending them to class with these five “things”.

Gratefulness.

Psalm 34:1-3, NLT says: I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak His praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt His name together.

Children aren’t naturally grateful. We, as the parents, have to teach and show them what gratitude and true appreciation look like. School is a great place to put this into practice. Teach your kids that they should be grateful in all things—even tests and homework. And even beyond being grateful to God for His many blessings, it’s important for kids to learn to be grateful to others—their teachers, all of their classmates, the crossing guards who keep them safe and custodians who keep their school nice and clean.

Kindness.

Bullying is such a big problem for kids today. And I must say that prevention comes first from home. Children imitate. They mimic the actions they see—good and bad. I pray—without ceasing—that my kids are kind to others. But, I’m always sure to put those prayers into action by giving them opportunities to see kindness acted out in the world around them as well.

Loving speech.

Gossip hurts. I admit I’ve fallen into the grasps of gossip more times than I like to admit. Over the years, I have learned to keep my mouth out of idle gossip and I have taught my girls to keep their words kind and compassionate. No one benefits from gossip, so let’s all kick this unkind habit.

Spiritual Strength.

As they show kindness, I want my kids to stand strong in their faith and never falter in their beliefs. I struggled with this very thing as a teen. I was afraid of what other people thought and said about me. I wish I had the backbone I have now, so that I could kindly show them what faith in Jesus really looks like. Let’s teach our children that they don’t need to fight to defend who they are, rather they must instead walk humbly with God. The most important aspect of this is to show them while they are at home how loved they are. That love will stay with them during lonely and hard times.

Diligence.

My hope for my kids is that they don’t allow a bad day define them. I pray they seek first God’s will in all they do and then go for it with their whole hearts, no matter how many times they fall. Failures are often life's greatest teacher. Kids need to know that they’re cared for and that they make us proud parents. Let’s help them develop a sense of commitment in all of the areas of their lives.

What do you hope for your children as the school year approaches?

Or, do you homeschool? I would love to hear how you apply these things even if your children are not attending an outside school.